Mail-collection sack.



No. 638,623. Patented Dec. 5, |899.

B. F. & A. C. BRCKMEYER. MAIL CULLECTIDN SACK.

(Application led Aug. 21, 1899.)- rho Model.)

. UNITED STATES To (tu whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, BENJAMINE F. BROCK- MEYEE and ALBERT O. BEocKMEYEE, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Collection Sacks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to produce a simple inexpensive sack to be used in the collection of mail-matter from street-boxes, which sack can be easily and expeditiously attached to and removed from the mail-boxes.

A further object of our invention is to construct a mail-collection sack that is self-opening when in position beneath the mail-box to receive the mail-matter, thus greatlyfacili-` .tating the collection of said mail-matter.

Our invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a perspective View of our improved sack in position beneath a mail-box. Fig. II is a side elevation of the sack closed and in the position it assumes while being carried to and from the mail-boxes or collection-wagons. Fig. III is a plan view of the sack while open. Fig. IV is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken on line IV IV, Fig. III, a portion of the mail-box being shown in dotted lines.

3 5 rectangular frame is formed of heavy wire or any suitable stiff material, which frame comprises two parts-a main frame, and an extension-frame. The main frame, which carries the sack, comprises a front section l, the center of which is bent outwardly to form the handhold 2, together with the parallel side sections 3, which extend rearwardly at right angles to and from the ends of the front section l. The rear ends of theside sections 3 slight angles toward the front section l, as indicated by the numeral fand from thence these inwardly-bent portions extend directly toward one another, as indicated by the numeral 5. The extension-frame is formed of the same length of material of which the main In the construction of our improved sack a are bent inwardly toward one another and atV PATENT OEEICE.

` BENJAMINE F. BROOKMEYER AND ALBERT O. BROOKMEYER, OF ST. LOUIS,

MISSOURI.

MAIL-COLLECTION SACK.

SECIFICATION'forming part of Letters Patent N o. 638,623, dated December 5, 1899.

Application led Augnst21,1899 Serial No. 727,874. (No model.) y

frame is formed, said extension-frame cornprising the rear section 6, from the ends of which the side sections 7 extend forwardly to the inner ends of the bent portions 5. This extension-frame is somewhat narrower in width than the main frame, said main frame being so bent that it occupies a plane at a slight angle relative to the horizontal plane normally occupied by the extension-frame.

The sack proper (indicated by the numeral 8) is of approximately rectangular form and is composed of any suitable iiexible material, preferably heavy canvas or leather. The bottom of this sack is of double thickness in order to add stiffness to said bottom and alsov to receive the extra wear the bottom is subject to. A loop S is secured to the under side of the center of the bottom of the sack, which loop is to be manually engaged when dumping the contents of the sack. The upper edge of the front wall of the sack is doubled .over the front section l of the main frame, the handhold 2 being uninclosed, and secured in any suitable manner to the upper edges of the side walls of the sack are rings 9, which slide freely on the side sections 3 of the main frame.

Held in the doubled-over upper edge of the rear wall of the sack is a rod l0, which stiens and adds weight to the upper portion of said rear wall. l o

When our improved sack is being carried to andfrom the mail-boxes and collectionwagons, the entire frame is held in an approximately vertical position, and when so held all of the rings 9 on each side section 3 will slide downwardly to the portions of said side sections adjacent the front section l. Y This closed position is illustrated in Fig. II, and when the sack is so held the upper portions of the side walls thereof lie in folds, While the lower portion of said sack retains approximately its normal position owing to the stiffness of the double bottom, and the mail-matter within the sack is prevented from becoming crushed or bent, which would be the result should the entire lower end of the sack collapse.

To position the sack beneath a mail-box, the extension-frame is passed through a loop (shown in dotted lines in Figs. III and IV) IOO which is fixed to the under side of the mailbox, andwhen so positioned the main frame extends outwardly and upwardly in front of the lower portion of the box. As soon as the frame is thus positioned the weight of the rod lO causes the rear wall of the sack to pass downwardly to a position beneath the front portion of the box, and in so doing the upper portion of the side Walls unfold and the rings 9 slide downwardly along the side sections 3. Thus 4the mouth of the sack automatically opens, and the mail-box is unlocked to allow its contents to pass into said sack. After this operation the box is closed and locked and the sack removed therefrom by manually engaging the handhold 2 and pulling outwardly thereon. By the use of a mail-sack of our improved construction much time and labor is saved in the collectionof mail-matter, and said sack is comparatively klight in weight, is easily handled, and possesses superior advantages in points of simplicity, durability, and general eciency.

The device herein described is particularly designed for use in connection with an improved mail-box, for which we have made application for Letters Patent of the United States and in the use of which the mail is discharged from a dump-box that delivers the mail in a downward direction from the box on the opening thereof. The sack may, however, be used to receive mail from boxes of other forms.

We claim as our inventionl l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame adapted to be secured beneath a mail-box, said frame comprising a main part and an extension part, asack,.and means connecting said sack to the main part of said frame,whereby the mouth of the sack may open automatically when the frame is applied to the mail box, substantially as specified. f

2. In a mail-collection sack, a frame adapt ing slightly inclined relative the horizontal plane normally occupied by the extension, a sack depending from the main portion, and means whereby the mouth' of said sack automatically opens when the extension-frame isY placed beneath the mail-box, substantially as v specified.

4. In a mail-collection sack,amain frame,

a handhold formed in the front thereof, an extension-frame integral with said main frame, a sack depending from said main fra1n'e,means whereby the mouth of said sack automatically opens when the extension-frame is positioued beneath a mail-box, and aloop secured to the under side of the bottom of the substantially as specied. f"

BENJAMINE F. BROCKMEYER.Y 4i

ALBERT C. BRGCKMEYER.

sack, 

